Tuesday, May 23, 2017

A DEMOCRATIC TAX ON LABOR

Sen. James K. Jones.

Sen. Roger Q. Mills.

Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday,
March 22, 1894.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

A
Democratic Tax on Labor.

A special Washington dispatch to the New
York Sun reveals the fact that the
infamous income tax annex to the Wilson bill is even more infamous than was at
first supposed. The announcement at first was that it was to reach only the
rich men—men whose income was more than $4,000 a year. Southern influence,
however, according to the Sun's dispatch,
has secretly and maliciously sought to saddle the burdens of the income tax on
laboring men also. This was brought about by Senators Mills of Texas and Jones
of Arkansas who changed the inquisitorial income tax clause of the Wilson bill
so as to bring building associations, and thereby the innumerable class of wage
workers, under the tax. Building and loan associations in cities especially are
the people's savings banks. They are the builders of the laboring man's house.
As a rule they have worked well, and everywhere are a positive blessing to tens
of thousands of laborers in their efforts to secure shelter for themselves and
their families. They teach earners of money how to save it; how to spend it so
as to get homes.

"While this is true," said a wage
worker who had come to Washington from Senator Voorhees's state, "the
inventors of the income tax iniquity, as if bent on the greatest amount of
deviltry possible, have changed it so as to tax the last dollar the wage worker
has put into a building association, instead of merely putting a 2 per cent tax
on the dividends of what he put in, which was bad enough. The change was made
secretly by Senator Mills of Texas and Senator Jones of Arkansas. It amounts to
a crusade upon the wage workers. The change taxes the wages of mechanics and
laborers without any exemption. I consider it downright wickedness and
premeditated cruelty."

Senators and representatives from states where
building and loan associations abound are likely to hear from home in
disagreeable ways. Seemingly the Texas and Arkansas senators, after reading the
recent special report by the census commissioner, showing how much was paid for
labor, and where the blow would fall hardest, improved their opportunity without
the knowledge of other members of the committee having the Wilson bill in
charge to change it so as to levy a direct tax on wages. It would be easy to
see what the great manufacturing districts and states would pay in contrast
with Texas, Arkansas, and a dozen other states where the income tax is
supported most earnestly.

The quiet change made by the Texas and
Arkansas senators, a change that became known by accident only, has led to a
systematic scrutiny with the view to ascertaining whether or not other
outrageous changes have not been made in the bill that was before sufficiently
repugnant to the country.

For a party which posed as the only friend
of workingmen during the last Presidential
campaignthis blow at hard-earned wages is specialty despicable and
treacherous. Not content with closing factories and cutting down pay, it now
seeks to the laborer of his savings in order to make up the deficiency caused
by Democratic assaults on our protected industries. In other words American
labor is to be made to pay for the benefits conferred by the Wilson bill on the
labor of foreign countries. And this is the much vaunted tariff reform, which was
to make the rich poorer and the poor richer.

Lewis Swift.

A Fine
Lecture.

Dr. Lewis Swift of Rochester last night
delivered at Normal hall one of the most instructive lectures of the very admirable
course which has this year been conducted by the students of the Cortland Normal
school. He explained many things as to the composition of the sun, the stars
and the means by which this knowledge was obtained, He set forth many interesting
and curious facts concerning the relations of the earth to the other planets in
the solar system and clearly proved how nothing in the universe is at all
stable, but that there is a constant change even in the direction in which the
poles of the earth point. He spoke of the result of these changes. He dealt
with figures so large as to be beyond the comprehension of the mind, but
endeavored to make them intelligible by familiar illustrations.

No one who listened attentively to his lecture
could go away feeling that it was not a great theme and without agreeing with
the sentiment of the doctor when he stated that in the presence of such
stupendous facts he felt his own insignificance in the midst of it all. A very
reverential and humble spirit characterized the entire lecture, although it was
perfectly evident that the doctor was at home in the discussion of his theme.

We cannot forbear congratulating the Normal
students upon the excellence of the course of entertainments just closed. It
was this year an experiment. It was not the design to make money, but to provide
a fine class of lectures and concerts at so slight an expense that all the students
would be able to take advantage of them. The experiment has been a grand
success. There have been three lectures, a reading and a concert. The
treasurer's report is not yet complete, but we are informed that it is safe to
say that the entertainments have financially paid for themselves, and much
pleasure and instruction has been afforded not only to the students but to the
townspeople as well. We can only add the exhortation, "Do so some
more."

Beautiful
Easter Window.

One of the prettiest Easter windows in town
is that of the jewelry firm of Clark & Nourse. A large potted Easter lily
occupies a prominent place in the foreground. In the background smilax is
twisted about in a tasty way. Arranged in pleasing style are the new goods of
every kind and description that pertain to a well-ordered jewelry store which
is fully abreast of the times and which tries to satisfy and please a
discriminating trade.

Summer
Hotels and Boardinghouses.

The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg
railroad is now preparing its illustrated book of "Routes and Rates for
Summer Tours" for the season of 1894. This book contains a complete list
of summer hotels and boardinghouses along the line of the R., W. & O., and
also in the Adirondacks, North Woods, the St. Lawrence river, Thousand Islands,
Canada, White Mountains, Green Mountains, Maine sea coast and the New England
Atlantic coast. Proprietors of hotels and boardinghouses soliciting summer
visitors are invited to give the following information, which will be inserted
in the book without cost:

Name of
hotel or boardinghouse.

Proprietor
and postoffice address.

Room
capacity,

Rate per
day,

Rate per
week.

Nearest
railroad station.

How far
from railroad station.

How
reached from railroad station.

Communications should be addressed to Theo.
Butterfield. General Passenger Agent, Syracuse, N. Y. The book will go to press
in April and will be ready for distribution in the latter part of May.

WON'T
ANSWER QUESTIONS.

Cornell
Sophomore Twice Brought Before Judge Forbes.

ITHACA, N. Y., March 22.—The grand jury is
still investigating the Cornell chlorine poisoning case but are expected to
wind up to-day. From several incidents which have transpired it is evident that
the affair is being brought to a focus.

Yesterday afternoon F. L. Taylor of
Plainfield, N. J., a sophomore and who was a roommate of C. L. Dingen, toward
whom the finger of suspicion points most strongly, was brought before the judge
by the district attorney for refusing to answer questions and was instructed by
the judge as to his privilege and duty. This seemed to have no effect upon him
as he was again brought before Judge Forbes this morning for refusal to answer
questions put by grand jurymen. The judge then told him that if he was one of
the parties who had any hand in mixing this chlorine, then he could refuse to
answer, but if he was not an accessory, but knew who did mix it or had any
information of any of the parties concerned in it, then he must answer any and
all questions. The judge gave him until 2 o'clock this afternoon to consider
the matter and he left the court room with his attorney.

He is a very gentlemanly fellow, of fine
appearance but very determined looking and those who know him best say that if
he has any knowledge of the case he would go to jail before giving evidence
which might convict his friend.

THAT
CANAL CONTRACT.

The Subject
Taken Up by Senate Assembly Committees.

ALBANY, March 22.—How the Cataract Electric
company got its big grant from the state was the subject taken up by the senate
finance and assembly ways and means committees.

Superintendent of Public Works Hannan was
put on the stand and asked to detail how he gave the grant to the company. He
said that the permit was drawn in his office by a clerk who was not a lawyer.
The first application was made in November last year and a written application
was made in December of that year, both by this company. No other company had
applied. He did not know of the bill allowing the making of such a contract
until the secretary of state sent in a slip of the laws.

All his dealings had been with
[Cataract Electric] Vice-President F. W. Hawley. He had not in any way investigated the financial
standing of the company.

He had consulted the present attorney
general in drawing the contract, and admitted that he might have talked with
Governor Flower or Charles De Freest on the matter. He never talked to Senator
Murphy or Thomas C. Platt.

The contract called for about 60 electric
lights along the canal and power to raise and close the locks.

He was aware that the repeal bill was
pending when he prepared the contract. He thought that the state was well protected.

In answer to a question as to whether he did
not think it right that he should have waited to see whether the repeal bill
passed, he said no. He believed it was a good thing for the state. The Cataract
company had presented its contract and from it the present one was made.

ASSEMBLY
IN SESSION.

Bipartisan
Election Inspectors' Bill Passed by a Big Majority.

ALBANY, March 22.—The house took up the
special order which was the bipartisan inspectors of election bill.

Mr. Sulzer offered an amendment providing
that the act shall take effect immediately.

Mr. Sulzer withdrew his amendment, but
immediately afterward sent it to the desk on a motion to recommit the bill to
the committee on judiciary with instructions to amend the bill and report forthwith.

The motion was adopted.

The bill was then put upon its final
passage.

The bill was passed—ayes, 75; nays, 1—J. F.
Terry.

The following bills were also passed:

Mr. Tobin's, authorizing the park
commissioners in the city of New York to increase the pay of park laborers from
$1.75 to $2 per day.

Mr. Robertson's, requiring that all
mechanics and laborers employed on state or municipal buildings shall be
American citizens, shall not work longer than 8 hours per day and shall be paid
according to the scale of wages established by the labor organizations of a
similar trade or occupation as theirs.

BIG GUN
TESTED.

The
Largest Gun Ever Built In America Successfully Tried.

WASHINGTON, March 22. — A distinguished
party of public men and departmental officials and a number of ordinance
experts accepted the invitation of the secretary of the navy to visit the naval
ordnance proving grounds at Indian Head to see the official test of the first
of the big 13-inch guns which have been completed at the government works.

This is the biggest gun ever built in this
country, and a vast amount of interest was manifested in seeing it operated.

The gun weighs 67 tons. The steel projectile
weighs 1,100 pounds. Two shots were fired, the first with a 403 pound charge of
powder showed an initial velocity of 1,720 feet per second. The second, with
482 pounds of powder, showed a velocity of 1,915 feet per second. The powder
used is very coarse, the grains being about an inch in diameter.

Interested observers of the test were the naval
attaches of the embassies of Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy and the
Russian and Japanese legations.

CORTLAND COUNTY NEWS.

INTERESTING
FACTS FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.

Things
Seen and Heard in Villages and Hamlets About Us, and Items From All Over the
County.

McGrawville.

A quantity of trout have been placed in the
creeks between this place and Solon. They were sent from the state fishery at
Albany.

The cards are out announcing the wedding of
Miss Minnie Shepard to Eugene L. Williams of Berkshire, Thursday, at the home of
Miss Shepard's aunt. We extend to them congratulations and best wishes.

At the village election held March 20, 1894,
the following named candidates were voted for, with the number of votes respectively
received for each:

President—W. J. Buchanan, 132; Lewis Warren,
22.

Trustee—Samuel Doud, 122; Wm. Lord, 30.

Trustee Frank C. Topping, 125; A. B. Rumsey,
29.

Treasurer—B. H. Randall, 152.

Assessor—W. P. Henry, 146.

Collector—P. W. Chaffee, 125; C. S. Hoag,
24.

Police Constable John Evens, 121; Porter
Hoben, 29.

Mr. Buchanan received 110 majority for the
office of president of the village.

Virgil.

VIRGIL, March 21.—The many friends of Mrs.
Clarissa Atwood of Killawog were pained to hear of her death at the residence
of her sister, Mrs. P. West in Virgil, March 19, after an illness of only 48
hours. Mrs. Atwood was the daughter of the late John Tyler, and was born in the
town of Dryden, April 17, 1820. She married Mr. Stephen Atwood, Dec. 22, 1870,
and was left a widow Jan, 7, 1892. Mrs. Atwood had been a consistent Christian
since early life and was a member of the Free Will Baptist church near here for
many years. A short funeral sermon was held here Wednesday afternoon and the
remains were taken to Killawog, Thursday, in charge of Undertaker M. B.
Williams for burial.

Miss Frances Tyler is sick with rheumatism
caused by taking cold after having the scarlet fever.

Mrs. Betsy Ryan died at the home of her
son-in-law, Mr. Amasa Lane, on Monday, aged 90 years, 4 months and two days.
The funeral will be held today, Rev. Mr. Dayton and Undertaker Crain in charge.
Mrs. Ryan with the exception of a short time spent in Texas, has always lived
in this town and was a woman well-known and liked by all who knew her.

The maple sugar festival held by the grange
on Tuesday evening was well attended.

Elm
Stump.

ELM STUMP, March 21.—Mr. C. L. Judd made a
business trip to East Homer yesterday.

The first man to start a plow to begin the
spring work in this section was Mr. Irving Price, who began yesterday.

Those who have been sick with the measles
are all reported convalescing.

Mr. Robert Adams of Virgil was calling on
old friends in this section to-day.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Smith were at home to
their friends last Saturday evening. An oyster supper was the occasion and a
good time is reported.

Mr. Ryan Oaks of Cortland called at Mr. Jay
Worden's Monday.

Mr. and Mrs. Irving Price and Anna and
Charlie were guests at Mr. Harvey Yager's at Virgil last Thursday.

Little
York.

LITTLE YORK, March 21—We are informed that
Miss Frisbie of Scott is to be our teacher for the spring term.

Wood sawing by steam power has been the
order of the day among the farmers of late.

Mr. H. W. Blashfield has had the misfortune
to lose a valuable Jersey cow, which he recently purchased of Mr. John Roe.

Rev. Mr. Hamilton of Preble will preach here
next Sunday. He expects to come weekly during the summer if he receives
sufficient encouragement from the people.

Some hoodlums were out last Friday night and
committed some wild forms of mischief.

Mr. John Roe and family moved to Homer last
Monday. During the time they have resided here they have won the esteem of all
their neighbors all of whom expressed sorrow at their departure.

Mr. D. W. Wilbur is moving his goods from
the Wheeler house, which he has occupied for the past two years, to his farm
near Preble.

BREVITIES.

—Mr. E. P. Halbert is negotiating for the
sale of the Grant-st. grocery to Mr. David C. Beers.

—The Franklin Hatch library now contains
3,006 volumes, having added 1,000 volumes since the library was opened in its
present quarters.

—A cock fight occurred Tuesday night between
celebrated Cortland and Homer birds for a purse of $50 and a side bet of $10.
Three battles were fought and the Cortland bird won.

—The funeral of John Dobbins, who died
Tuesday afternoon of injuries received from falling down stairs at the Cortland
Wagon Co., occurred at St. Mary's church at 11 o'clock this morning.

— Mr. A. P. Potter of grange 670, Syracuse,
will address the Cortlandville grange on Saturday evening, March 24, on the
subject of "Home Rule in Taxation." He will speak to the South
Cortland grange upon the same subject tonight.

Tea
Table Talk.

Ayouth who lives at High Schoals says that his father's cows
frequently came up at night with the appearance of having been milked. His
father got tired of it and sent him to the pasture with the cows to catch the
thief. He spent the day near enough to the cows to watch them, he thought, but
at night it was still evident that the cows had been milked again. He was
scolded, and sent back with them the next day. About 11 o'clock, he says, a cow
went into the canes near a small lake and lowed. He crept through the brush and
caught the thief in the act, and he proved to be a bullfrog as large as a hat.
The frog was hanging on to the cow's udder, and seemed to be enjoying his
dinner immensely.—Savannah Morning News.